Gaucho Update
UC Santa Barbara enters Wednesday's game against UCLA with a 4-2 record and a three-game winning streak. The Gauchos have put together three straight wins for the first time since the end of the 2002-03 season and for only the second time in non-conference play under head coach Bob Williams. UCSB swept its three-game homestand with a narrow win over Pepperdine (65-62) and easy wins over Westmont College (66-36) and the University of San Diego (90-70).

UCSB Gets Offensive In Win Over San Diego
UCSB used balanced scoring, outstanding three-point shooting and a 24-4 first half run to post a 90-70 win over visiting San Diego on Saturday night. The Gauchos were paced by sophomore forward Cameron Goettsche who had a career-high 17 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds. Sophomore guard Cecil Brown went 3-of-4 from three-point range and scored 16 points for the third game in a row. He also added a team-high four assists. Another sophomore guard, Joe See, made 3-of-5 shots from three-point territory and scored a season-high 15 points to go along with four steals. Senior guard Jacoby Atako had 13 points and four steals. Overall, UCSB made 10-of-18 (55.6%) shots from three-point range, including 6-of-8 (75.0%) in the first half. In addition, the Gauchos recorded a season-high 13 steals and they forced San Diego into 19 turnovers.

Fullove Returns In A Limited Role
Senior guard Branduinn Fullove, the 2002-03 Big West Player of the Year, an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American and a Preseason All-Big West selection, injured his left ankle midway through the first half of UCSB's exhibition loss to Ratiopharm Ulm on November 12. He missed the Gauchos' first five games before returning in a limited role on Saturday against San Diego. Fullove came off the bench to play 13 minutes and although he missed all five of his field goal attempts, he did go 6-for-6 from the free throw line and collect four rebounds. Last year, Fullove led UCSB in scoring at 14.6 points per game. He also averaged 3.7 rebounds per game, shot 46.3% overall, 41.4% from three-point range and a team-leading 83.7% from the free throw line. Fullove is the first Gaucho player in history to earn some level of All-Big West honors in each of his first three seasons. As a freshman in 2000-01 he was Honorable Mention All-Big West, as a sophomore in 2001-02 he was Second Team All-Big West and then last year he was Player of the Year. He entered the season with a career total of 1,167 points, 13th on the school's all-time list, and he now has 1,173, needing just 27 to move into 11th-place.

Jones Passes The Halfway Point
Senior guard Nick Jones was suspended for UCSB's first eight games of the 2003-04 season after playing the same number of games in an unsanctioned summer league in Mexico. Saturday's game against San Diego was the sixth game of that suspension. He will sit out the UCLA and Kansas games and become eligible for the Gauchos' game on Sunday against Alabama State. As a junior, Jones averaged 12.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. He was an Honorable Mention All-Big West choice and the co-winner of the Big West Hustle Award.

UCSB Radio Moves To Clear Channel Santa Barbara
All 2003-04 UC Santa Barbara men's basketball games will be broadcast by Clear Channel Santa Barbara. The majority of Gaucho games will be aired on KTLK 1340 AM, but when a conflict with Los Angeles Lakers' games occurs, the UCSB games will be carried on KTMS 990 AM. The agreement between UCSB and Clear Channel Santa Barbara comes after KEYT NewsRadio, the Gauchos' former home, converted to Spanish-language in early November.

The Williams FileBob Williams is in his sixth season as the head coach at UC Santa Barbara. Last year, he guided the Gauchos to an 18-14 overall record and a 14-4 mark in Big West Conference play. The Big West mark earned Santa Barbara its first-ever regular season championship along with a postseason trip to the National Invitation Tournament. In addition, the success earned Williams his second Big West Coach of the Year award, his first coming after an impressive 1999 campaign. In 2001-02, Williams led UCSB to its first Big West Conference Tournament Championship ever and first NCAA Tournament appearance in 12 years. In his five seasons in Santa Barbara, Williams' teams have posted an 84-69 overall record and a 56-28 record in Big West games. Prior to his arrival at UCSB, he spent eight years at UC Davis and in those eight years, his teams recorded 20 or more wins five times and a 158-76 record. In Williams' final season, the Aggies went 31-2, won the NCAA Division II National Championship and he was named NABC Division II Coach of the Year. Including two seasons at Menlo College, Williams has a record of 273-169 at four-year schools.

Bob Williams' Show Returns
Extra! Extra! Read all about it! The Bob Williams Show returns to the airwaves for its third season. Mark your calendars and grab your Palm Pilots. The show will air on Tuesday evenings from 6:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on KTMS 990 AM, one of the Clear Channel Santa Barbara homes of Gaucho Basketball. The show resumes airing after the New Year and will run on January 6, 13, 20 and 27, February 3, 10, 17 and 24, and March 2, 9 and 16. All broadcasts will originate from The Paradise Café in downtown Santa Barbara. Brock Bowling, UCSB's play-by-play announcer, will join Williams for the second straight year as will guests from the Gaucho Athletics and the community.

Possible Starters - Notes
G - Jacoby Atako - With four steals against San Diego, he became the 8th Gaucho to eclipse 100 with 101.
G - Cecil Brown - Scored exactly 16 points in each of the last three games and now leads team at 12.0 ppg.
G - Josh Davis - Since going 0-for-8 from the field in opener, he has gone 15-of-33, 45.5%.
F - Cameron Goettsche - Scored a career-high 17 points in the win over San Diego.
F - Casey Cook - Averaged 15.0 points per game in the first three and 6.7 per game in the last three.

Probable Reserves - Notes
G - Nick Jones - Will be off suspension for Sunday's Alabama State game.
G - Branduinn Fullove - Played 13 minutes vs. San Diego, his first appearance of the year.
G - Joe See - Has made three three-point baskets in each of the last three games.
G - Chrismen Oliver - Four of his seven field goals have come from three-point range.
F - Bryan Whitehead - Tallied a season-high ten points vs. Westmont.
F - Bray Skultety - All five of his field goals have come in the last three games.
F - Glenn Turner - Suffered a slight concussion against Westmont, did not play against San Diego.
F - David Kennedy - Walk-on forward has played in each of the last two games.
F - Derek Wheeler - Has yet to play in a game.

The Opposition
UCSB and UCLA have met 18 times and the Bruins have won all 18. The last time the two programs met was in 2000-01 and UCLA won that one, 83-77 at Pauley Pavilion. The Gauchos have never played Kansas or Alabama State.

UCSB On The Road
UCSB is 1-0 on the road this season and 0-2 in neutral court games. The Gauchos opened the season with a win at Hawaii before dropping games to St. Mary's and Southeast Missouri State at the Doubletree Montana Holiday Classic. Last year, the Gauchos recorded an 8-12 record away from the Thunderdome. Included in the 8-12 was a 2-5 record on neutral courts and a 6-6 record in true road games. After getting off the mark slowly, the Gauchos closed the year by winning seven of their final 12 games away from home.

UCSB Re-Enters Mid-Major Top-20
After back-to-back losses at the Doubletree Montana Holiday Classic, UCSB dropped out of The CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll. Actually Santa Barbara dropped out of the top-20, they remained at number 23. The Gauchos' 65-62 win over Pepperdine, however, vaulted them back into top-20 at number 19. Gonzaga remains the top-ranked team in the poll and fellow Big West member, Utah State, has moved to number 14.

Getting Defensive
In three games since allowing Southeast Missouri State to shoot 52.0%, UCSB has tightened-up defensively. In consecutive wins over Pepperdine, Westmont and San Diego, the Gauchos allowed a total of 168 points, 56.0 per game, and a combined 64-of-175 from the field, 36.6%. In the win over Westmont, UCSB limited Westmont to 36 points, the lowest total ever allowed by a Bob Williams-coached Gaucho team and the lowest total allowed by any Gaucho team since they allowed 33 points to Utah State on January 10, 1994. Not only did the Warriors score 36 points, they shot a just 24.1%, the lowest mark by a UCSB opponent since Idaho shot just 22.0% on February 2, 2002.

Balancing The Books
In Saturday's win over San Diego, UCSB had four players score in double-figures for the first time this season. In all, seven different Gauchos have scored in double-figures this season and four different players have led the team in scoring. Cecil Brown and Casey Cook have each led the way twice, while Jacoby Atako and Cameron Goettsche have paced the way once.

Shooting Gallery
Through two games, a win over Hawaii and a loss to St. Mary's, UCSB was struggling with its shooting. In the win over the Rainbow Warriors, the Gauchos shot 39.6%, making 21-of-53 shots from the field. The shooting, like the weather, cooled down even more in Montana. In the tourney opener against the Gaels, Santa Barbara shot a miserable 19-of-58 overall, 32.8%, and just 11.8% from three-point territory. So, after two games, UCSB had made just 40-of-111 shots, 36.0%, not too hot for a team that made a solid, if not spectacular 44.2% in 2002-03. In the last four games, however, things have started to turn around for the Gauchos. In a loss to Southeast Missouri State and wins over Pepperdine, Westmont and San Diego, UCSB combined to make 107-of-224 shots from the field, a decent 47.8%. On the season, the Gauchos have now improved to 43.9% overall. If you will quickly glance at the column on the left, you can get the lowdown on three-point shooting.

Getting Offensive And Marginal Wins
When UCSB hit the 90 point mark in its win over San Diego, it marked the highest scoring effort by the Gauchos this season. Scratch that, it marked the highest scoring effort in two seasons. Scratch that, it marked the highest scoring effort since February 10, 2001, when UCSB defeated Cal Poly, 95-88. Going back to last week's win over Westmont, the 30-point margin of victory (66-36) was the largest victory gap by any Gaucho team under Bob Williams. To find a margin of victory larger than 30, you have to go bck to December 6, 1997, when UCSB walloped San Francisco State, 92-50. Taking it one step further, the combined victory margin of the last two games is 50, the largest two-game victory margin since the 1991-92 season when the Gauchos beat Sacramento State and St. Mary's by 36 and 21 points respectively, a total of 57.

On The Rebound
Santa Barbara has outrebounded five of its six opponents and none by fewer than five rebounds. St. Mary's is the only team to win the rebounding battle with UCSB and they did so by 12. On the year, the Gauchos are outrebounding the opposition by 4.3 rebounds per game, a major improvement over last season when they were outrebounded by an average of 0.7 rebounds per game.

The Three-Point Story
As was the case with the shooting in general, UCSB got off to a slow start with its three-point shooting as well. In the opener at Hawaii, the Gauchos made 3-of-8, 37.5% and they followed-up that performance with a miserable 2-for-17 against St. Mary's. After two outings, UCSB had made 5-of-25 from beyond the arc, 20.0%. Since then, however, the Gauchos have started to perk up. In Saturday's win over San Diego, UCSB made 10-of-18 from three-point territory, a season-best 55.6%. In the last four games, Santa Barbara has made 34-of-73 three-point attempts, 46.6%. Overall, the Gauchos have now made 39-of-98 shots from three-point range, 39.8%. Finally, since averaging 2.5 three-pointers in the first two games, UCSB has averaged 8.5 per game in the last four.

Sophomoric
Entering the season, it seemed as if UCSB's hardwood fortunes were mainly in the hands of seniors. Circumstances, however, have turned that around. Just 23.9% of the Gauchos' points, 30.2% of their rebounds, 31.2% of their assists and 38.5% of their steals have come from seniors. By contrast, 52.9% of their points, 40.1% of their rebounds, 51.9% of their assists and 46.2% of their steals have come from the four sophomores on the roster.

Brown's Sweet-16 Homestand
Sophomore guard Cecil Brown had a sweet-16 homestand. Brown scored exactly 16 points, tying his career-high, in each of UCSB's three home wins, improving his season-average to a team-leading 12.0 points per game. In the last three games, the Canoga Park High School product averaged, brace yourself, 16.0 points per game while making 17-of-32 shots overall, 53.1%, and 6-of-13 from beyond the three-point line, 46.2%. By contrast, Brown made just 11-of-33 shots in the first three games, 33.3%. He is now shooting 43.1% on the season, highest mark of his career. He has also proven to be a bit of a measuring stick for the Gauchos. In the season's first game at Hawaii, he scored 13 points and UCSB won. In the next two games, he scored a total of 11 points and the Gauchos lost both and, as mentioned earlier, he has scored in double-digits in each of the last three contests and UCSB won all three. Thus, in the four wins, he has averaged 15.2 points and in the two losses he averaged 5.5 points. Brown also continues to lead the Gauchos in minutes played. His total of 180 minutes is 11 more than the next closest player. He is also tied for the team-lead in assists with 14. Brown has had at least one assist in all six games, two or more in the last four and a season-best of four in Saturday's win over San Diego. Also, in the game against San Diego, he had a career-high three steals and he added four rebounds. Brown had five rebounds in last week's win over Westmont, one short of his career-high. In fact, nine of his 17 rebounds on the season have come in the past two games.

What's Cooking?
Junior forward Casey Cook has slowed down offensively in the last three games, but he continues to be a major contributor. In the first three games, Cook scored in double-figures each game, averaging 15.0 points per game over that span. Cook entered the season having scored in double-figures a total of six times in his career and he has already done so three times in six games this year. In the last three games, all home wins, he averaged 6.7 points per game. Still, Cook is second on the team in scoring at 10.8 points per outing. In the Gauchos' win over Pepperdine two weeks ago, Cook's double-figure streak ended, but he sent it out with a bang, scoring the final three of his seven points on a three-pointer with less than a second remaining to give UCSB a 65-62 win. Also, while he had a season-low two rebounds in the win over San Diego, he is still averaging 6.2 rebounds per game, second on the team to Cameron Goettsche. Prior to the San Diego game, Cook had collected five or more rebounds in five straight games. In the opener at Hawaii, he actually recorded career-highs in points (16) and rebounds (12), also logging the first double-double of his career. Of his 37 rebounds, 14 have come on the offensive end, 37.8%. On the dark side, although not really that dark, since opening the season by making 11 consecutive free throws, Cook has gone just 1-of-5 in the last two games.

Pointing The Way
Senior Jacoby Atako has had a feast or famine year on the offensive end. Through six games, he is averaging 8.7 points per game, fourth on the team, but in three of the games he has recorded either a career-high or the second-highest total of his career and in the other three he has scored a total of three points. In the opener at Hawaii, Atako scored 13 points, tying his career-high. In the following game, a loss to St. Mary's, he missed both of his field goal attempts and scored just one point. Against Southeast Missouri State, he scored 23 points, easily a career-high, on 9-of-11 shooting. Then, in the win over Pepperdine, he played 24 minutes and attempted just one shot, a miss, and he went scoreless. A week ago, against Westmont, he was 1-of-3 from the field and he scored just two points and then in Saturday's win over San Diego, he scored 13. So, in games one, three and six, Atako made 15-of-22 shots from the field overall, 68.2%, 6-of-10 from beyond the three-point arc, 60.0%, and averaged 16.3 points per game. In games two, four and five, he made 1-of-6 shots from the field overall, 16.7%, 0-for-3 from three-point range and averaged 1.0 point per game. In the last three games, Atako has had ten of his 14 assists on the year. In the win over Pepperdine, he had a season-high of six assists. In his career, he now has 324 career assists, seventh all-time. He also had a season-high four steals in Saturday's game against San Diego and in the process he became just the seventh player in school history to surpass the 100 steal mark. He now has 101 career steals.

No Ordinary Joe
Sophomore guard Joe See scored a season-high 15 points in Saturday's win over San Diego. The 15 points was one short of his career-high of 16 points, set in a game against Southern Utah during his freshman year at Oregon State. With his 15-point performance, See is now third on the team in scoring at 9.0 points per game. During UCSB's current three-game winning streak, he has averaged 12.3 points per game. See went 0-for-8 from the field overall and 0-for-7 from three-point territory in a November 29 loss to St. Mary's, but in the four games since, he has made 16-of-32 shots overall, 50.0%, and 11-of-22 three-pointers, also 50.0%. See has made three three-point baskets in each of the last three games and he has made two or more in five of six games this season. Thirteen of See's 19 field goals have come from three-point range, 68.4%, and 39 of his 54 points on the season have come from three-point shots. He is, however, more than just a three-point shooter. See had a career-high four steals in the win over San Diego and he had a season-high of four assists in the win over Westmont.

Cam I Am
Sophomore forward Cameron Goettsche scored a career-high 17 points in just 20 minutes during UCSB's victory over San Diego on Saturday. With the 17-point effort, Goettsche is now averaging a season-high 8.2 points per game. In addition, his seven rebounds improved his rebounding average to a season-best and team-best 6.7 per game. In the last three games, all UCSB wins, Goettsche has averaged 11.0 points and 9.0 rebounds per game and he has made 12-of-24 shots, 50.0%. Since scoring three points in the season opener at Hawaii, he has scored at least six in every game, averaging 9.2 per game over that span. Additionally, since collecting a total of six rebounds in the first two games, Goettsche has had at least seven in each of the last four, averaging 8.5 over that span. He had a career-best 11 rebounds in the Gauchos' win over Westmont. Of Goettsche's 40 total rebounds on the season, 16, or 40.0%, have come on the offensive end. Finally, while he does the majority of his damage on the inside, he has made 3-of-6 three-point baskets, including one vs. San Diego.

Just Joshing
Sophomore guard Josh Davis thought he was going to redshirt the 2003-04 season, but an injury to Branduinn Fullove and the suspension of Nick Jones forced the UCSB coaching staff to call an audible. Obviously, Davis is not redshirting. In fact, he has been in the starting lineup for all six games and his 169 minutes played ranks second on the team. He has played at least 23 minutes in each of the six games and 28 or more five times. Since having his problems shooting the ball in the season-opener at Hawaii, Davis has gotten better and better. In the last five games, he has averaged 7.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game while making 15-of-33 shots from the field overall, 45.5%, and 4-of-8 from three-point range, 50.0%. In last week's win over Westmont, he had arguably his best all-around game of the season, scoring nine points, collecting three rebounds and passing-off for a career-high six assists, equaling the highest total by any Gaucho this year. He scored a season-high ten points in the loss to St. Mary's. Davis is now averaging 6.2 points per game for the season and he has scored six or more in five straight. Finally, since missing his first three three-point attempts of the season, Davis has gone 4-of-7, 57.1%, and he has made at least one in three straight.

The Life Of Bryan
Senior forward Bryan Whitehead enters the week averaging 4.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. In the last four games, he has improved his numbers, averaging 5.5 points and 6.7 rebounds per game. During the three game homestand, Whitehead made 8-of-11 shots from the floor, 72.7%, to improve his season mark to 55.6%. He has come off the bench in five of the six games, averaging 16.5 minutes.

Oliver's Story
Junior guard Chrismen Oliver was one of several UCSB players to emerge during the three game homestand. While his career-high of nine points came in a November 29 loss to St. Mary's, he had six of his ten assists, three of his four steals and five of his six rebounds during the three game winning streak. Oliver had season-highs of four assists and two steals in the win over Westmont and he had at least two assists in each of the last three games. Since playing just six minutes in the season's first game at Hawaii, Oliver has played at least 13 in each of the last five and 16 or more in the last three.

On The Horizon
Following the game against UCLA and then the appearance in the Dodge Holiday Classic in Reno, Nevada, the Gauchos will take some time off for Christmas. In fact, for the first time in many years, UCSB has no games between Christmas day and New Year's day. When the Gauchos do return to the hardwood, it will be for their Big West Conference opener on January 3 at Long Beach State, a game that will tip-off at 7:30 p.m. On Monday, January 5, UCSB will travel to UC Irvine for another league game that will tip at 7:00 p.m.